Microsoft Office for Android phones is now available

Microsoft just announced the general availability of the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for Android phone. These new apps make it easier to connect to other popular third-party storage offerings like Google Drive and Box etc. These apps were available as a preview for some users. I am happy to say that I was also part of that preview user group.

Microsoft Office apps were available as a preview for some Android users. I am happy to say that I was also part of that preview user group.

Here are a few other features of Microsoft Office apps for Android:

On the go reviews and edits—The documents can be reviewed on the go in its entirety, read comments and then easily add your own comments.

Presenting from my phone—You can use your phone to present wirelessly. PowerPoint for Android phone gives you the same transitions, animations and design that you get on desktop application. You may even highlight important points while presenting.

Quick access to my documents—Quick access to the document you were working on.

Support for third-party cloud storage services—Besides OneDrive, you can also access documents stored in Dropbox, Google Drive or Box etc.

Easy to get—The apps are available for free in Google Play Store and some key manufacturers like Samsung and LG will pre-load these apps on Android devices.

Note: Only people running Android 4.4+ will be able to install these apps on their devices. Others should search and install Office for Android in Google Play store. There are also office apps for Android tablet users which we reviewed a while back.

I have used the preview version of these apps for the last few weeks. I must add that I am pretty happy and excited about what I am able to do with these apps on Android.

Over to you

How happy are you from this free offering from Microsoft to bring Office for Android? How often do you use office applications on the go? What does this release mean to you? Let us know in comments.

Anurag Bansal is the Founder & CEO of Techacker. He is an entrepreneur, technology enthusiasts and social media strategist helping startups and fellow entrepreneurs achieve success by leveraging the power of internet, social media and mobile web. Catch him on Twitter (@techacker), Facebook and Google+.